Chamber and committees

The £400M Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme is delivering fibre broadband access to at least 95% of premises across Scotland by the end of next year. This is a vital first step towards our commitment to extend superfast access to 100% of premises by 2021.

For those not covered by the DSSB programme, guidance is publicly available which outlines the options available for securing financial and practical support for broadband connectivity.

Community Broadband Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative, delivered nationally by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, which provides financial and technical support for communities who wish to pursue their own connectivity solutions. Alternatively, individuals may wish to consider the Better Broadband scheme, which offers funding to help with connection costs.

Information on the Community Broadband Scotland initiative can be found at http://www.hie.co.uk/community-support/community-broadband-scotland/, and on the Better Broadband scheme at https://www.scotlandsuperfast.com/where-when/the-programme/better-broadband-scheme/.

Scotland’s participation in Erasmus+, the EU’s 2014-2020 Education, Training, Youth and Sport Programme, is in line with our aims to promote Scotland as a learning nation and to increase student and staff mobility, and brings strong educational, employability, cultural and economic benefits. Erasmus+ also enables students from Scotland to access commercial loans on favourable terms in order to study postgraduate courses in other member states. Scotland’s preference would be to continue full participation.

Erasmus+ 2014-2020 is delivered by the British Council with Ecorys under contract to the UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) with and on behalf of the four nations of the UK. The Scottish Government has received assurances that the EU Referendum result has no immediate effect on learners, staff or volunteers from Scotland currently abroad under the Erasmus+ scheme or anyone applying for 2016-17. Payments will be made in the usual way. The Scottish Government continues to seek assurances covering the medium and longer term.

The Scottish Government’s starting point is to protect our relationship with, and place in, the European Union. The Scottish Government will publish proposals over the coming weeks that would allow Scotland to stay in the single market and to preserve aspects of our relationship with the EU, even if the rest of the UK is intending to leave.

The purpose of the new Scotland-wide statutory board will be to drive stronger governance and alignment across a coherent and fully integrated enterprise and skills system which provides the support that businesses and users of the skills system require. Decisions regarding the formation, remit and funding arrangements for this board for will be taken forward during phase two of the review process which began on 1 November. It is therefore not possible to set out at this stage what future budgets may be, as they will be developed in the normal way to meet funding needs and obligations through spending review and annual budget setting processes.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise will continue to exist. As part of our review of skills and enterprise, working closely with key stakeholders we will consider how the new Scotland-wide statutory board will operate. Current boards will continue to be involved as we develop our plans going forward.

Decisions regarding the formation, format and remit of the new Scotland-wide statutory board will be taken forward during phase two of the review process which began on 1 November.

Asylum seekers living in Scotland can access NHS health services and civil legal advice and assistance in the same way as anyone that is ordinarily resident here.

It is for NHS Boards to provide health services that best meet the needs of their local populations from their general funding allocations.

Scotland has a legal aid system that is not cost limited and has a high eligibility rate. Asylum seekers can apply for publicly funded legal assistance under the same eligibility criteria as any applicant facing legal proceedings and their legal status is not a barrier.

The Scottish Refugee Council, which has received funding of £534,000 from the Scottish Government in 2016-17, works with refugees and asylum seekers and can help them to find legal representatives.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital role support services have in raising awareness of domestic abuse in these communities and supporting victims to have the confidence to come forward and report it. That is why we have provided an additional £1.85m (2015-18) to Rape Crisis Scotland to enhance specialist support for victims across Scotland and, in partnership with Orkney and Shetland Women’s Aid, open the first-ever rape crisis services in these areas.

The statistics (available at: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/10/2442) indicate that between 2006-07 and 2015-16, the number of recorded domestic abuse incidents in Orkney has increased from 22 per 10,000 population in 2005-06 to 64 per 10,000 population in 2015-16. This increase should be seen within the context of an increase across most local authorities in the same period and the rate per 10,000 population in Orkney in 2015-16 continuing to be well below than the national rate (64 compared to 108).

The Scottish Government is committed to tackling all violence against women and provided an additional £1.85m (2015-18) to Rape Crisis Scotland to enhance specialist support for victims across Scotland and, in partnership with Orkney and Shetland Women’s Aid, open the first-ever rape crisis services in these areas. These two vital support services are working together to raise awareness of domestic abuse in these communities and support victims to have the confidence to come forward and report it.

The Scottish Government is taking action and investing record levels of funding to tackle domestic abuse and violence against women across Scotland. In 2016/17, we have allocated £11.8million towards initiatives to tackle violence against women, including a range of front line services for women and children experiencing domestic abuse.

Last year, the First Minister announced an additional £20million would be invested from the Justice Budget (over 2015-18) to tackle violence against women. We believe that in some cases, people feel more confident about reporting domestic abuse to the Police as they believe action will be taken.

We are committed to strengthening the law in this area through the introduction of a Bill creating a specific offence of domestic abuse in 2016-17. We will continue to take action to prevent and eradicate domestic abuse and all forms of violence against women and girls through the implementation of our strategy, Equally Safe.

Non-domestic rates liabilities have not yet been finalised for 2017. The revaluation by independent Assessors will update the rateable value of non-domestic properties, in line with rental values. The Scottish Government will bring forward legislation for the 2017-18 rates poundage and any changes to reliefs in due course, having considered the revaluation effect across sectors.